The present invention is directed to electronic calibration of a fuel dispenser and more particularly to maintaining calibration factor integrity in an electronically calibrated fuel dispenser.
Traditionally, fuel dispensers have been calibrated entirely through mechanical adjustment. As the cost of electronics has continued to decrease, manufacturers have implemented electronic circuitry to facilitate calibration of fuel dispensers. In a typical fuel dispenser, electronic calibration is performed through a setup menu that is under the control of a processor that controls various functions of the fuel dispenser. A primary function of the processor is to determine the quantity of fuel pumped. Utilizing electronic circuitry has generally simplified the calibration of fuel dispensers, since access to lower hydraulic areas of the fuel dispenser is not normally required.
In a typical electronically calibrated fuel dispenser, fuel meter calibration constants are detached from the fuel meter (i.e., stored in processor readable memory). In those fuel dispensers, the fuel meter calibration constants have not been tamper resistant. Additionally, current fuel dispensers have not normally retained fuel meter calibration constants when a processor board is replaced. That is, when a processor board fails, all fuel meters associated with a faulty processor board require recalibration.